Cooking appliances, such as cooktops or range appliances, generally include a burner or heat source positioned on a portion of a cabinet or support panel. Cooking appliance can include a variety of configurations for the heating sources located on a top surface. The number of heating sources or positions available for heating on the cook top can include e.g., four, six, or more depending upon the intended application and preferences of the buyer. These heating sources can vary in size and location along the surface of the cooking appliance.
Regardless of the heating source configuration, managing spills can be a common concern. For instance, when liquids within a utensil (e.g., pot) boil over and out of the utensil, the liquids may spill in an undesirable manner. It is possible for the liquids to spill, not only onto the top surface of the cooking appliance, but off of the top surface and onto the floor, wall, or side surface of the cooking appliance. Once the liquids have spilled off of the top surface of the appliance, they can become exceedingly difficult to clean. Moreover, in some appliances, spills risk significantly damaging other portions of the appliance. As an example, some appliances include one or more electronic components that are mounted on or adjacent to the side of an appliance cabinet. If liquids or foods spill out of a utensil and off of the top surface, it is possible that the spilled liquids or food might fall onto or inside the electronic components. The spilled items may become trapped and cause damage to the electronic components.
As a result, it would be advantageous to provide a cooking appliance that includes one or more features for managing spills. Moreover, it would be advantageous to provide a cooking appliance capable of controlling spills and containing spilled items within an area that is easy to clean and contained away from significant electronic components.